A giant step for Internet radio

FrankBarnako

The announcement by Sprint Nextel Corp
S, +1.55%
that it will spend several billion dollars to spread a cloud of broadband access over the nation is great news for the nation's broadcasters and wannabes.

With Wi-Fi blanketing cities, and without the need for hundreds or perhaps thousands of towers or relays, anybody can be a broadcaster. And you'll be able to listen at your PC, wireless-enabled phone, or a Wi-Fi radio in your car. The most powerful Clear Channel
CCU, +1.22%
station is on the same wavelength as a kid in his bedroom with a playlist he thinks the world should hear. With Wi-Fi distribution, they're all the same. There's more on my blog.

The biggest Web site you never heard of

The five most popular general news Web sites in June were Yahoo News, MSNBC, AOL News, CNN and Internet Broadcasting, according to ComScore Media Metrix. More than half (54%) of all Internet users visited sites in the category during the month. The most popular time for news reading is the work day, when a third of visits occur. Weekends and evening day parts are also popular (30% and 28%).

Now, about that list. Internet Broadcasting? Bet you've never been there. Never heard of it, right? IBTV isn't really a news site. It's a network of sites for almost 80 local TV stations, including properties owned by NBC
GE, +1.82%
McGraw-Hill, and Cox Broadcasting. IBTV provides Web hosting, design and site maintenance, content production and advertising sales. There's more on my blog.

Digg's $60 million man - Not!

It ain't so, says Kevin Rose.

On the latest "This Week in Tech" podcast, the founder of Digg.com says he's broke and "can't afford a couch in my new apartment." Another statement in the Business Week article he disputes is that Digg is profitable. "Actually Digg isn't even breaking even, so they got that wrong," he said. "I'm not a multi-millionaire, I'm not a millionaire or even a thousand-aire." Rose said that on the day the article was posted online, he got an e-mail from Goldman Sachs asking if he needed investment advice.

Blogs are good enough for J&J

One of the nation's biggest advertisers is turning to blogs to reach new mothers. Johnson & Johnson
JNJ, +0.99%
is creating a directory in partnership with Blogher.org, which lists blogs written by women.

This is huge news for the rapidly expanding business of creating networks of blogs which publish similar news and information and appeal to a homogeneous audience that is attractive to advertisers. Examples include Federated Media and Seeking Alpha.

"The blogosphere, open for conversation day or night, is the modern mom's park bench," said Bridgette Heller, global president of Johnson's Baby division. "Our research shows that what mom bloggers want most is a way to find and connect with other moms."

J&J's marketing moves always attract attention, if only because of the big dollars involved. So when the consumer products company elected not to participate in this year's "upfront" network TV ad sales, lots of people took notice. That decision was seen as a result of its work with Marketing Evolution, a firm which helps advertisers measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns. There's more on my blog.

Terrific 'Tabloid' TV

My Tivo has been dutifully doing its job for weeks, and I just paid attention. Last night, I watched the first episode of Bravo's "Tabloid Wars." It's terrific.

Real reporters, some even have New York accents (!), doing their jobs the old-fashioned way. Walking the streets or riding the subway. No car services for these folks. And not a PR flack in sight dispensing pablum.

The News' editor does not look like Robert Duvall ("The Paper") and no reporter looks like Glenn Close. These actors are not actors, they are real. And when reporter Kelly Burke is sent borough-to-borough, trying to find the right address or interviewee quote, you have to marvel at his respect for his editor's insistence to get it "early and accurate."

This is a great series. If you haven't yet watched it, go to iTunes and download the first episode. It's free.

At the risk of sounding schmaltzy, this series made me remember why I started writing obits at the Morning Call.

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